Partitionable paper product

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is directed to a paper towel product that will capably separate from the paper towel roll as a full sheet, a half sheet or a quarter sheet. A method of making a paper towel with machine direction perforations is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of copending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/817,915, filed Mar. 13, 2020, which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/223,004, filed Dec. 17, 2018, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,624,506, issued Apr. 21, 2020, which is a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/847,479, filed Dec. 19, 2017, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,188,242, issued Jan. 29, 2019, which is a division ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/162,161, filed May 23, 2016, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,918,596, issued Mar. 20, 2018, which claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/166,488 filed May 26,2015, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a paper product that can bepartitioned into sheet sizes demanded by consumer preference.Specifically, the present disclosure describes a paper product that canbe perforated in both the machine direction and the cross machinedirection to allow for the separation of the paper web in new anddifferent ways. For example, the bi-directional perforation opens newoptions for packaging, folding and dispensing web products. Moreover,the present disclosure provides a solution for minimizing waste whenusing consumer paper products by creating integral sizing allowing theconsumer to remove only the amount of paper product that is desired forthe particular use. In one embodiment, the present disclosure describesa rolled paper towel product that allows not only the separation of asingle sheet from the roll, but the separation of a half sheet and aquarter sheet.

The consumer's daily life is filled with a variety of modern productsthat are produced solely for the comfort and convenience of theconsumer. While consumer demand for disposable products is high, manyconsumers remain concerned about the level of resources that arerequired to produce these disposable products. Thus, there continues tobe significant work to develop disposable products that are asenvironmentally friendly as possible.

Environmentally conscience consumers often seek out products that allowthem to use less disposable material. In the area of paper towels, thishas spurred manufacturers to offer paper towel products with smallerprofiles to handle smaller jobs. These towels are marketed undermonikers such as “Select-a-Size” or “Pick-a-Size.” While the concept ofproviding the consumer with the ability to separate their paper productsinto smaller squares would seem apparent, providing a product that canactually be further partitioned is very difficult. In the area ofnapkins, consumers can save waste by purchasing the napkins that areappropriate for their desired use. The industry routinely sizes napkinsby the job they are intended for, including cocktail napkins, luncheonnapkins, dinner napkins, and the myriad of fast food sizes.

Current towel products on the market have a feature allowing theconsumer to select between a full size paper towel product and a halfsize paper towel product. These products all use perforation lines thatrun from the top of the roll to the bottom of the roll, i.e., in thecross-machine direction (CD) of the towel sheet. Pick-a-sizeperforations are produced in the same fashion as standard perforations,but the perforation lines are more frequent and closer together. Theaddition of pick-a-size perforations has only minimal impact on theprocess for making the towel product.

By contrast, providing perforations in the machine direction (MD) of thesheet, e.g., around the center of the paper towel roll, or along anapkin fold line, as described herein, can have a substantial impact onthe process for producing the paper sheet. Furthermore, current napkinproducts do not include perforations or any other means for the consumerto reduce the size of the product. If the consumer desires a differentsize napkin, they need to purchase another size. Given the currentfolding structures for napkins, creating a product that can bepartitioned provides any number of difficulties.

This inability for the consumer, either industrial or commercial, toreduce the size of these convenience products extends to other commonpaper products, for example, wipers, folded hand towels, deli paper,coffee filters, dryer sheets, flower wraps, food liners, health carewipers to name a few. These products may be sold in different sizes, butthey are generally sold in packages that contain only a single size ofthe product. If additional sizes are desired, they are purchasedseparately. A product which is capable of separation into smaller unitswould fulfill many of the consumer's desires to reduce the amount ofenvironmental waste that they create.

What all of these products have in common is that they begin with afibrous web that is subsequently converted into an end product. In itsmost basic description, paper, in this example, a paper towel, is madeby feeding fiber dispersed in water into a paper machine, depositing thefiber onto a system of fabrics to form a sheet and drying the sheet.Modern paper machines can run at speeds in excess of 1000 M/minute, socare is taken not to introduce weaknesses into the sheet prior towinding the sheet onto a roll, thereby avoiding breakage. A paper sheetinherently has different strengths in different directions. The papersheet is stronger in the machine direction, i.e., around the roll, andweaker in the cross direction, i.e., from the top to the bottom of theroll.

Once the sheet is rolled up, it awaits a converting operation, i.e., aprocess to turn the raw paper web into a final product. Converting, likepapermaking, is a high throughput process that should be controlled toprevent breaking of the paper sheet as it is moved through the processtoward a final product. During converting, weaknesses in the sheet maybe introduced by the converting processes themselves, e.g., by embossingor perforating.

The inventors have discovered an effective method for producing a paperproduct that has perforations in the machine direction and embodimentsthat have perforations in both the cross-machine direction and in themachine direction. This process allows a paper product to be produced,without failure during converting, as has been associated with prior artattempts to include machine direction perforations. The machinedirection and bi-directional perforations also open new options forpackaging, folding and dispensing web products.

In today's commercial market, it is not enough that one can produce aproduct having machine direction perforations. To be commerciallyacceptable, the product must meet consumer expectations. The inventorshave further discovered that machine direction perforation can becreated that will capably separate, whether it be a paper towel from theroll as a full sheet, a half sheet or a quarter sheet, or a wiper from acenter pull container. To be effective, machine direction perforationsshould reliably separate into smaller products, and will, if certaincharacteristics and/or tear strengths are employed.

A better understanding of the various disclosed system and methodembodiments can be obtained when the following detailed description isconsidered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a general process for converting apaper web to a paper towel product herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a paper towel roll with perforations as described.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a converting operation including awheel for producing machine direction perforations.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a general process for converting apaper web to a perforated napkin product.

FIG. 5 illustrates a napkin product having a machine directionperforation that will coincide with the fold line of the final napkinproduct.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion is directed to various embodiments of theinvention. The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certainfeatures of the embodiments may be shown exaggerated in scale or insomewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements maynot be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness. Although one ormore of these embodiments may be preferred, the embodiments disclosedshould not be interpreted, or otherwise used, as limiting the scope ofthe disclosure, including the claims. It is to be fully recognized thatthe different teachings of the embodiments discussed below may beemployed separately or in any suitable combination to produce desiredresults. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand that thefollowing description has broad application, and the discussion of anyembodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and notintended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including theclaims, is limited to that embodiment.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the artwill appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature orcomponent by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components or features that differ in name but notstructure or function.

As used in the following discussion and in the claims, the terms“including” “is”, “comprising”, “containing”, etc. are used in anopen-ended fashion, and thus, should be interpreted to mean “including,but not limited to.” If closed language is included, “consisting,” and“consisting essentially of” it will be given its art recognized meaning.

As used herein “paper web,” “continuous paper web,” “paper roll,”“rolled paper,” “paper sheet,” “sheet,” “continuous sheet,” “airlaidweb,” “airlaid,” “nonwoven web,” and “wiper,” and “paper” all refer tothe paper web that is subject to conversion into a final product.

As used herein “perforation” refers to the combination of one cut andone bond area.

As used herein “perforations” and “perforation line” are usedinterchangeably to describe a series of perforations that extendsbetween any two points on the product, for example, a line ofperforations that extends between two edges of the product, or a line ofperforations that extends between an edge of the product and anintersecting perforation line.

As used herein “perpendicular,” and “substantially perpendicular,” areused interchangeably to describe a perforation line that generallyfollows the machine direction. Whether or not the term substantially ispresent as a modifier, the perpendicular perforation is understood torefer to a set of perforations that generally follow the machinedirection. In instances where the term “perpendicular” is intended torefer specifically to a 90 degree angle between the CD perforation lineand the MD perforation line, it will be so specified.

In the production of disposable paper goods, a fibrous web is producedfrom fiber that has been liberated from a source material, for example,softwood or hardwood. The fibers are arranged into a continuous sheetmaterial by any known papermaking process, for example, by wet pressing,through-air-drying or air-laying.

In the production of a kitchen towel, napkins or other products theproducts may be produced using a wet laying process. According to anexemplary wet laid process, paper products are made by feeding fiberdispersed in water into a paper machine, combining the fibers with thechemicals appropriate for the type of product being produced, e.g., wetstrength resins for the production of a kitchen towel, depositing thefiber onto a system of fabrics to form a sheet and drying the sheet.Drying may be accomplished by any known papermaking process, forexample, by Yankee dryer, through-air-drying, or any process using astructured drying fabric, including by way of example, the UCTADprocess, the eTAD process, the Atmos process, and the like.

According to another well-known process, fibrous base sheets can be madeby air-laying fiber. According to this process, fibers are entrained inan air stream and collected on a condenser screen. The sheet depositedon the condenser screen can be bonded by any suitable method including,for example, mechanical bonding, e.g., needle punching, thermal bonding,chemical bonding, hydroentanglement, and the like. As with wet laidpaper sheets, air-laid nonwovens are subjected to converting operations,that can range from simple to complex, to transform the base sheet intothe desired end product. Such non-woven products can be packaged in artrecognized packages, including for example, tubs, carbons, single packs,canisters, both rigid and flexible packages.

Regardless of the process by which it is made, every paper sheetinherently has different strengths in different directions. The papersheet is stronger in the machine direction, i.e., around the roll, andweaker in the cross direction, i.e., from the top to the bottom of theroll. These strength differences can come into play during the processof converting the web to the final product. When additional stresses areadded to the product that impact the weaker direction, the likelihood offailure during converting increases.

Converting encompasses many different potential operations on the paperweb including, for example, cutting, folding, embossing, slitting,perforating, plying, punching, laminating, chemically treating, and thelike. Specific combinations of converting operations are well understoodto produce certain end products, for example, paper towel rolls,napkins, facial tissue, etc. During a typical paper towel convertingoperation, the paper web is unwound, embossed, plied, perforated,rewound, and cut into individual paper towel rolls. During these (andany other) operations, the sheet is moved at high speeds between variouspieces of converting equipment. An example paper towel convertingoperation is illustrated in FIG. 1 . The paper sheet is moved betweenpieces of equipment under tension and each of these convertingoperations cause stress on the sheet as it moves.

FIG. 2 illustrates a paper towel product 10 having perforation lines inthe cross machine direction 20 and a perpendicular perforation line 30in the machine direction. The paper towel product 10 can be producedusing the converting sequence represented in FIG. 1 . The paper sheet isunwound from a parent roll and conveyed through a printer, if theproduct is a printed product, otherwise, the paper sheet is conveyed tothe embossing station where the sheet is embossed. After embossing, ifthe product is a multi-ply product, the sheet is plied and laminatedbefore it is conveyed to perforating. After the product is perforated,it is wound into logs of an appropriate commercial diameter. The logsare subsequently cut into individual rolls which are packaged and readyfor sale.

During a typical napkin converting operation, the paper web is unwound,embossed, plied, folded, and cut into individual paper napkins. As withpaper towels, during these operations the sheet is moved at high speedsbetween various pieces of converting equipment. An exemplary napkinconverting operation according to the present disclosure is illustratedin FIG. 4 . Unlike prior napkin converting processes, the process andsystem as described herein include a perforating step prior to thefolding and cutting of the napkin product. The perforating processprovides a napkin product that can be divided into two equivalentnapkins. According to one embodiment, the perforation will fall on thelast fold made in the napkin.

FIG. 5 illustrates a napkin product 10 having perforation lines in themachine direction 30. The napkin product 10 can be produced using theconverting sequence represented in FIG. 4 . The paper sheet is unwoundfrom the parent roll and conveyed through a printer, if the product is aprinted product, otherwise, the paper sheet is conveyed to the embossingstation where the sheet is embossed. After embossing, if the product isa multi-ply product, the sheet is plied and laminated before it isconveyed to perforating. After the product is perforated, it is sent toa folding machine where the paper is folded and cut into individualnapkin products.

In addition to the inherent stresses that are put on the sheet due tothe movement between converting operations, embossing and perforatingcreate other stresses that can also weaken the sheet providing points atwhich the converting operation can fail due to sheet separation orbreakage.

Each perforation line includes a series of individual perforations. Oneperforation is made up of one cut made through the paper and one bond.As used herein, bond refers to the tab of paper that remains attachedbetween the individual cuts. So, each perforation is made up of one cutand the neighboring bond. The perforation can be defined below by thelength of the cut, the length of the bond or the combined length of thetwo, referred to herein as perforation unit length.

Perforations in the products as described can be produced using any artrecognized perforation systems. Perforation systems typically includeone or more blades comprising a number of teeth. The teeth form thesurface of the cutting blade that is used to cut the paper product andform the cut portion of the perforation. The open areas between theteeth on the blade move over the paper surface, without causing damageto the surface, and thereby creates the bond portion of the perforation.Perforation rolls for producing perforation lines in the CD directiongenerally have a series of perforation blades that begin at a first endof a perforating roll and span the diameter and length of the roll overone full rotation of the roll in a helical fashion. To produceperforations that run in the MD direction, a perforation roll wasconfigured to have a series of blades made up of teeth and open spacesto produce the cuts and bonds of the perpendicular perforation line.

The paper towel product as described is produced to have perforationlines in both the cross machine direction, as well as perforation linesin the machine direction. According to one embodiment, the perforationlines on the paper product have a tear strength in the machine directionthat is higher than the tear strength in the cross-machine direction.

According to one embodiment, the napkin product is perforated only theMD direction. These MD perforation lines have sufficient tear strengthto prevent separation of the napkin sections until a tearing load isapplied to the napkin to cause separation.

According to one embodiment, the wiper product is a center pull productand includes perforation lines in both the MD and CD directions. As withthe paper towel products, the perforation lines on the wiper product mayhave a perforation tensile strength in the machine direction that ishigher than the perforation tensile strength of the perforation line inthe cross-machine direction to allow the product to be properlydispensed.

Paper Towels

The paper towel product as described is produced to have perforationlines in the cross machine direction, as well as, at least oneperpendicular perforation line in the machine direction. Perforationlines in the CD direction are well understood in the art and can be madeusing any art recognized perforation blade(s). Typical perforationblades used to produce paper towel perforations in the CD directionproduce perforation lines with a perforation tensile of between about600 and about 950 g/3″. One typical perforation blade used to producecommercial paper towel products has a perforation unit length from about3.5 to about 3.9 mm, for example, about 3.7 mm, with 0.6 mm being thebond length, and 3.1 mm being the cut length.

Perpendicular perforation lines in the MD direction are produced byapplying a perforation roll either before or after the perforation unitthat produces CD perforations. One configuration for perforating a papertowel product is set forth in FIG. 3 . According to one embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3 , a rewinder 100 carries a paper web through an MDperforator wheel and anvil roll 200. The paper web is perforated in theMD direction creating a perpendicular perforation. The web is thendirected between a helical CD perforation wheel and an anvil roll 300,where CD direction perforation are made the paper web. Finally, thepaper web is wound to the diameter of the desired commercial product inthe surface winder section 400.

Perforation rolls for use in the instant disclosure can include any artrecognized perforation roll or a series of perforation wheels used inconcert. The diameter of the perforation wheel is selected to producethe correct repeat length for the desired perforation unit length. Upondetermining the desired perforation tensile, and perforation unitlength, the skilled artisan can select an appropriate perforation wheelto generate the appropriate repeat length. According to one embodiment,the size of the corresponding anvil roll can be adjusted, usually to agreater diameter roll, to improve contact between the perforation wheelsand the anvil surface, should it be desired when running at high speeds.According to one embodiment, typical perforation blades used to producepaper towel perforations in the MD direction produce perforation lineswith a perforation tensile of between about 800 and about 1500 g/3″. Theperforation blade for producing the perpendicular perforation can have aperforation unit length of from about 3.0 mm to about 6.5 mm with thebond length being from about 0.5 mm to about 0.9 mm and the cut lengthbeing from about 2.0 mm to about 6.0.

According to one embodiment, the perforation lines in the cross machinedirection have a percent bond area of the perforation line of at leastabout 15%, for example, at least about 16%, for example, between about15.5% and about 16.5%, for example between about 16% and about 16.5%,for example between about 16% and about 16.3%.

The perpendicular perforation lines in the machine direction have apercent bond area of the perforation line of at least about 15%, forexample, at least about between 15.5%, for example at least about 19%,for example at least about 22%, for example between about 15% and 30%.

According to one embodiment, the perforation lines in the cross machinedirection have a perforation tensile of between about 450 g/3 inches andabout 950 g/3 inches. More particularly, the perforation tensile is fromabout 450 g/3 inches to about 800 g/3 inches, for example, from about500 g/3 inches to about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 600 g/3inches to about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 750 g/3 inchesto about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 850 g/3 inches to about950 g/3 inches.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforation lines in themachine direction have a perforation tensile of between about 770 g/3inches and 1700 g/3 inches. More particularly, the perpendicularperforation tensile of the perpendicular perforations in the machinedirection is from about 750 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, forexample, 800 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, for example, fromabout 800 g/3 inches to about 1500 g/3 inches, for example, from about950 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches. According to one embodiment, inorder to achieve the proper separation sequence, the perforationstrength of the perpendicular perforation in the MD direction is greaterthan the perforation in the CD direction.

The ratio of the perpendicular perforation tensile to the CD perforationtensile can be between about 0.9 and about 1.7, for example, betweenabout 1.0 and between about 1.5, for example from about 1.0 to about1.2.

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the perforation tensilestrength of the perforation line in the CD direction and the MD tensilestrength of the paper (CD perf tensile ratio) is from about 30% to about40%, for example from about 32% to about 38%, for example, from about32% to about 36%, for example, at least about 32%.

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the perforation tensilestrength of the perpendicular perforation line in the MD direction andthe CD tensile strength of the paper (MD perf tensile ratio) is fromabout 30% to about 60%, for example from about 30% to about 50%, forexample, from about 32% to about 55%, for example, at least about 32%.

The ratio of the perpendicular perforation ratio to the perforationratio can be between about 1.0 and about 2.0, for example, between about1.0 and between about 1.8, for example from about 1.0 to about 1.7.

According to one embodiment, the bond length for the CD perforationline, measured linearly in the CD direction, is from about 0.5 mm toabout 0.75 mm, for example, from about 0.5 mm to about 0.6 mm, forexample, above about 0.5 mm, for example about 0.6 mm, for examplebetween about 0.6 mm and about 0.7 mm.

According to one embodiment, the bond length for the MD perforationline, measured linearly in the MD direction, is from about 0.5 mm toabout 0.9 mm, for example, from about 0.6 mm to about 0.9 mm, forexample, above about 0.6 mm, for example from about 0.6 mm to about 0.8mm, for example between about 0.65 mm and 0.8 mm.

According to one embodiment, the cut length for the CD perforation line,measured linearly in the CD direction, is from about 2.5 mm to about 3.5mm, for example, from about 3.0 mm to about 3.5 mm, for example, aboveabout 3.0 mm, for example about 3.1 mm, for example between about 3.0 mmand about 3.3 mm.

According to one embodiment, the cut length for the MD perforation line,measured linearly in the MD direction, is above about 2.0 mm, from about2.0 mm to about 6.0 mm, for example, from about 2.5 mm to about 5.0 mm,for example, between about 2.0 mm and about 3.5, for example less thanabout 3.5 mm, for example between about 2.0 mm and about 4.5 mm.

While not exemplified, other embodiments are contemplated that achievethe desired relative perforation strengths between the machine directionperpendicular perforation line and the CD perforation line. Whileperforation lines are typically made up of a series of homogeneousperforations, irregular perforation lines are contemplated for useherein. The perforation line may be made up of different segments havingvarying perforation unit length, different bond lengths and/or differentcut lengths. If one wanted to improve the strength of the MD perforationline in the area proximate the CD perforation line, one could use longerbonds for the MD perforations in the area proximate the intersection. Asused herein, the area proximate the intersection of the CD perforationline and the MD perforation line refers to the area within about 4 mmsof the point at which the two perforations cross.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the cut lengths to the bondlengths for the CD perforation line, measured linearly in the CDdirection, is greater than about 3, for example, greater than about 3.5,for example, greater than about 4, for example, greater than about 4.5,for example, greater than about 8.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the cut lengths to the bondlengths for the perpendicular perforation line, measured linearly in theMD direction, is less than about 7, for example, less than about 5.0,for example, less than about 4, for example, less than about 3, forexample less than about 2.5

According to one embodiment, the individual perforations of theperpendicular perforation line in the MD direction are longer than theindividual perforations in the CD direction. According to anotherembodiment, the individual perforations of the perpendicular perforationline in the MD direction are shorter than the individual perforations inthe CD direction. Finally, according to still another embodiment, theindividual perforations of the perpendicular perforation line in the MDdirection are the same length as the individual perforations in the CDdirection and according to this embodiment, the cut and bond lengths inthe MD perpendicular perforation line may be the same or different fromthe cut and bond lengths in the CD perforation line.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the length of an individualperpendicular perforation in the MD direction to the length of anindividual perforation in the CD direction is at least about 1.1, forexample, at least about 1.2, for example, at least about 1.3, forexample, at least about 1.4, for example, at least about 1.5, forexample, at least about 1.6, for example, at least about 1.7, forexample, at least about 1.9.

According to one embodiment, the perforations in the CD direction havesmaller bonds than the perpendicular perforations in the MD direction.According to one embodiment, the bonds in the MD direction are 1.1 to1.5 times the length of the bonds in the CD direction.

According to one embodiment, the cuts within the line of perforationsmake up at least about 50% of the area of the perforation line, forexample, at least about 65% of the perforation line, for example, atleast about 70% of the perforation line, for example, at least about 75%of the perforation line, for example, from about 65% to about 85%.

According to one embodiment the CD and MD perforations can be used toproduce a towel product having a basis weight of at least about 35 g/sq.meter, for example, at least about 40 g/sq. meter, for example, at leastabout 43 g/sq. meter, for example at least about 45 g/sq. meter, forexample, at least about 50 g/sq. meter. The basis weight of the paperweb may affect the perforation tensile. More particularly, the towelproduct can have a basis weight of at least about 40 g/sq. meter, forexample, at least about 43 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about 45g/sq. meter, for example at least about 50 g/sq. meter, for example, atleast about 51 g/sq. meter, for example between about 43 g/sq. meter andabout 51 g/sq. meter.

According to one embodiment, the paper towel product is made from apaper web that is produced by non-compactive drying. Various method fornon-compactive drying are well known in the art includethrough-air-drying (TAD), UCTAD (uncreped TAD), single or double crepedTAD. As used herein, processes such as creping or rush transfer are notconsidered compactive.

The paper towel as described may be a single, double or triple plyproduct. According to one embodiment, the paper towel product has a SATabsorbent capacity of at least about 300 g/sq. meter, for example, atleast about 400 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about 450 g/sq.meter, for example, at least about 500 g/sq. meter, for example at leastabout 550 g/sq. meter, for example, from about 550 g/sq. meter to about600 g/sq. meter.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforations bisect thetowel into two equally sized towels. According to another embodiment,the perpendicular perforations can be located to bisect the towel intotwo towels of unequal size. According to this embodiment, theperpendicular perforations should be located in a manner such that thesmaller towel is no less than 3.5 inches in the cross machine direction,for example, not less than 4 inches in the cross machine direction, forexample, not less than 4.5 inches in the cross machine direction, forexample, not less than 5 inches in the cross machine direction.

In addition to the issues encountered when producing a paper towelproduct with both a perpendicular perforation and a cross machinedirection perforation, the perforation strengths associated with theperforations should be controlled so that in use they produce theconsumer desired tear sequence. If the perforation strengths are notwithin the embodiments disclosed herein, the paper towel won't producethe desired tear of the cross-machine direction full sheet or half sheetbefore a tear in the machine direction quarter sheet occurs.

Commercial paper production is carried out using either a target valueor a range of values for each of the attributes that are desired in thefinal production product, to account for slight variations between theattributes of each paper run that can be caused by variations in theactual fiber, the run conditions, and the surrounding environment.Therefore, the process is continuously adjusted to maintain the endproduct attributes within a range of commercial specifications basedupon consumer demands for the intended final product.

Obtaining a product that consistently results in the correct perforationstrengths and therefore the correct tear pattern is important forconsumer satisfaction. All paper machines show some variability in theproperties of the paper that they make. The same is true in converting.All converting operations have a standard deviation. So whenperforations are placed into a sheet, the perforation strength in the CDdirection might be, for example, 790 g/3 inches with a standarddeviation of 85 g/3 inches. If one desires a MD perforation of 950 g/3inches which itself can have a standard deviation of 100 g/3 inches, theMD perforations and the CD perforations, depending upon the machine uponwhich they are produced can end up reversing, i.e., the MD perforationat its lowest would be 850 g/3 inches and the CD perforation could be ashigh as 875 g/3 inches at its highest.

When a consumer uses the rolled paper towel product as described, if theperforation strength is too strong in the machine direction, the towelwill not separate easily and will begin to separate along lines ofweakness in the sheet causing the separation not to follow theperforation and thereby leaving a tail of unwanted material on one ofthe two smaller towels.

Napkins

Napkin base sheets that can be used with the perforating techniques asdisclosed herein can include any art recognized base sheets. Inaddition, inclusion of an MD perforation line in a napkin productprovides new options for packaging, folding and dispensing napkinproducts.

The paper napkin product as described is produced to have at least oneperpendicular perforation line in the machine direction. Perpendicularperforation lines in the MD direction are produced by applying aperforation including any art recognized series of perforation wheelsused in concert. The diameter of the perforation roll is selected toproduce the correct repeat perforation lengths. Upon determining thedesired perforation tensile, and perforation unit length, the skilledartisan can select an appropriate perforation wheel to generate theappropriate perpendicular perforation pattern. According to oneembodiment, typical perforation blades used to produce paper napkinperforations in the MD direction produce perforation lines with aperforation tensile of between about 800 and about 1500 g/3″. Theperforation blade for producing the perpendicular perforation can have aperforation unit length of from about 3.0 mm to about 6.5 mm with thebond length being from about 0.5 mm to about 0.9 mm and the cut lengthbeing from about 2.0 mm to about 6.0 mm.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforation lines in themachine direction have a perforation tensile of between about 550 g/3inches and 1850 g/3 inches. More particularly, the perpendicularperforation tensile of the perpendicular perforations in the machinedirection is from about 750 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, forexample, 800 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, for example, fromabout 800 g/3 inches to about 1500 g/3 inches, for example, from about950 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches.

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the perforation tensilestrength of the perpendicular perforation line in the MD direction andthe CD tensile strength of the paper (MD perf tensile ratio) is fromabout 30% to about 70%, for example from about 30% to about 60%, forexample, from about 32% to about 55%, for example, at least about 32%.

The perpendicular perforation lines in the machine direction have apercent bond area of the perforation line of at least about 15%, forexample, at least about between 15.5%, for example at least about 19%,for example at least about 22%, for example between about 15% and 30%.

According to one embodiment, the bond length for the MD perforationline, measured linearly in the MD direction, is from about 0.5 mm toabout 0.9 mm, for example, from about 0.6 mm to about 0.9 mm, forexample, above about 0.6 mm, for example from about 0.6 mm to about 0.8mm, for example between about 0.65 mm and 0.8 mm.

According to one embodiment, the cut length for the MD perforation line,measured linearly in the MD direction, is above about 2.0 mm, from about2.0 mm to about 6.0 mm, for example, from about 2.5 mm to about 5.0 mm,for example, between about 2.0 mm and about 3.5, for example less thanabout 3.5 mm, for example between about 2.0 mm and about 4.5 mm.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the cut lengths to the bondlengths for the perpendicular perforation line, measured linearly in theMD direction, is less than about 7, for example, less than about 5.0,for example, less than about 4, for example, less than about 3, forexample less than about 2.5

According to one embodiment, the cuts within the line of perforationsmake up at least about 50% of the area of the perforation line, forexample, at least about 65% of the perforation line, for example, atleast about 70% of the perforation line, for example, at least about 75%of the perforation line, for example, from about 65% to about 85%.

According to one embodiment the CD and MD perforations can be used toproduce a napkin product having a basis weight of at least about 35g/sq. meter, for example, at least about 40 g/sq. meter, for example, atleast about 43 g/sq. meter, for example at least about 45 g/sq. meter,for example, at least about 50 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about55 g/sq. meter. The basis weight of the paper web may affect theperforation tensile.

According to one embodiment, the paper napkin product is made from apaper web that is produced by non-compactive drying. Various method fornon-compactive drying are well known in the art includethrough-air-drying (TAD), UCTAD (uncreped TAD), single or double crepedTAD. As used herein, processes such as creping or rush transfer are notconsidered compactive. According to another embodiment, the napkin ismade as by airlaying.

The paper napkin as described may be a single, double or triple plyproduct. According to one embodiment, the paper napkin product has a SATabsorbent capacity of at least about 300 g/sq. meter, for example, atleast about 400 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about 450 g/sq.meter, for example, at least about 500 g/sq. meter, for example at leastabout 550 g/sq. meter, for example, from about 550 g/sq. meter to about600 g/sq. meter.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforations bisect thenapkin into two equally sized napkins. According to another embodiment,the perpendicular perforations can be located to bisect the napkin intotwo napkins of unequal size. According to this embodiment, theperpendicular perforations should be located in a manner such that thesmaller napkin is not less than ⅓ of the original napkin product, or notless than ¼ of the napkin product. According to another embodiment, atleast two MD direction perforations are included on a napkin product.According to this embodiment, the napkin product can be divided intothirds. Based upon the techniques described herein, the skilled artisancould envision means for locating the MD perforation to coincide with afold line on an existing napkin configuration or locating an MDperforation to divide an existing napkin configuration into a desiredend size.

Should the skilled artisan desire to produce a napkin product with bothan machine direction perpendicular perforation line and a CD directionperforation line, the discussion above regarding the relative attributesof those two perforation lines, as it applies to paper towels wouldlikewise apply to paper napkins. According to one embodiment,bi-directional perforation lines would be useful if the napkins were arolled napkin product. The perforations should be controlled so that inuse they produce the consumer desired separation sequence.

When a consumer uses the paper napkin product as described, if theperforation strength is too strong in the machine direction, the napkinwill not separate easily and will begin to separate along lines ofweakness in the sheet causing the separation not to follow theperforation and thereby leaving a tail of unwanted material on one ofthe two smaller napkins.

Wiper Products

Wiper products can be produced by a variety of different methodsincluding the papermaking processes as described above. In addition,wipers can also be made using any art recognized process includingairlaying, spunlacing, spunbonding or other hydroentangling processes.The nonwoven base sheets for use in the disclosed wiper products can behomogenous or layered products, single layer or multi-layer laminates.Any art recognized product for making a wiper base sheet can be usedwith the instantly described method to make perforated products.

Wiper products that can be perforated using the disclosed techniques caninclude industrial products, including for example, industrial towelsand cleaning cloths, wet hand wipes, dry hand wipes or dusting clothes;healthcare wipers, including disposable washcloths, disposable bathtowels, cleaning wipers and cloths, hygienic wipers, baby wipes, andsurface cleaning systems; foodservice wipers including napkins, tablewipers, bar and food preparation station wipers, hygienic wipers, wet ordry hand wipers, deli papers, sandwich papers, bakery papers, butcherpaper, meat or freezer paper. The foregoing list is not exhaustive andother wiper products will apparent to the skilled artisan.

The wiper product as described can include any art recognized solutionsor may be impregnated with compositions for cleaning, softening,sanitizing, and the like. For example, the wipers may include aqueouscompositions, soap composition, cleaning solutions, lotions,antibacterial compositions and/or antiviral compositions. The materialsincluded with the absorbent base sheet may be in the form of fluids,emulsions, or suspensions and the final products may be dry orpre-moistened.

The wiper product as described is produced to have at least oneperforation in the machine direction. The inclusion of the MD directionperpendicular perforation allows new and interesting dispensers to beused for the wiper products as described above.

According to one embodiment, the wiper products as disclosed haveperforation lines in the cross machine direction, as well as, at leastone perpendicular perforation line in the machine direction. Perforationlines in the CD direction are well understood in the art and can be madeusing any art recognized perforation blade(s). Typical perforationblades used to produce wiper perforations in the CD direction produceperforation lines with a perforation tensile of between about 600 andabout 950 g/3″. One typical perforation blade used to produce commercialwiper products has a perforation unit length from about 3.5 to about 3.9mm, for example, about 3.7 mm, with 0.6 mm being the bond length, and3.1 mm being the cut length.

Perpendicular perforation lines in the MD direction are produced by asystem including perforation wheels either before or after theperforation unit that produces CD perforations. Selection of anappropriate perforation wheel is discussed above. According to oneembodiment, typical perforation blades used to produce wiperperforations in the MD direction produce perforation lines with aperforation tensile of between about 800 and about 1500 g/3″. Theperforation blade for producing the perpendicular perforation can have aperforation unit length of from about 3.0 mm to about 6.5 mm with thebond length being from about 0.5 mm to about 0.9 mm and the cut lengthbeing from about 2.0 mm to about 6.0.

According to one embodiment, the perforation lines in the cross machinedirection have a percent bond area of the perforation line of at leastabout 15%, for example, at least about 16%, for example, between about15.5% and about 16.5%, for example between about 16% and about 16.5%,for example between about 16% and about 16.3%.

The perpendicular perforation lines in the machine direction have apercent bond area of the perforation line of at least about 15%, forexample, at least about between 15.5%, for example at least about 19%,for example at least about 22%, for example between about 15% and 30%.

According to one embodiment, the perforation lines in the cross machinedirection have a perforation tensile of between about 450 g/3 inches andabout 950 g/3 inches. More particularly, the perforation tensile is fromabout 450 g/3 inches to about 800 g/3 inches, for example, from about500 g/3 inches to about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 600 g/3inches to about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 750 g/3 inchesto about 950 g/3 inches, for example, from about 850 g/3 inches to about950 g/3 inches.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforation lines in themachine direction have a perforation tensile of between about 770 g/3inches and 1700 g/3 inches. More particularly, the perpendicularperforation tensile of the perpendicular perforations in the machinedirection is from about 750 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, forexample, 800 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches, for example, fromabout 800 g/3 inches to about 1500 g/3 inches, for example, from about950 g/3 inches to about 1700 g/3 inches. According to one embodiment, inorder to achieve the proper separation sequence, the perforationstrength of the perpendicular perforation tensile in the MD direction isgreater than the perforation tensile in the CD direction.

The ratio of the perpendicular perforation tensile to the CD perforationtensile can be between about 0.9 and about 1.7, for example, betweenabout 1.0 and between about 1.5, for example from about 1.0 to about1.2.

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the perforation tensilestrength of the perforation line in the CD direction and the MD tensilestrength of the paper (CD perf tensile ratio) is from about 30% to about40%, for example from about 32% to about 38%, for example, from about32% to about 36%, for example, at least about 32%.

According to one embodiment, the ratio between the perforation tensilestrength of the perpendicular perforation line in the MD direction andthe CD tensile strength of the paper (MD perf tensile ratio) is fromabout 30% to about 60%, for example from about 30% to about 50%, forexample, from about 32% to about 55%, for example, at least about 32%.

The ratio of the perpendicular perforation ratio to the perforationratio can be between about 1.0 and about 2.0, for example, between about1.0 and between about 1.8, for example from about 1.0 to about 1.7.

According to one embodiment, the bond length for the CD perforationline, measured linearly in the CD direction, is from about 0.5 mm toabout 0.75 mm, for example, from about 0.5 mm to about 0.6 mm, forexample, above about 0.5 mm, for example about 0.6 mm, for examplebetween about 0.6 mm and about 0.7 mm.

According to one embodiment, the bond length for the MD perforationline, measured linearly in the MD direction, is from about 0.5 mm toabout 0.9 mm, for example, from about 0.6 mm to about 0.9 mm, forexample, above about 0.6 mm, for example from about 0.6 mm to about 0.8mm, for example between about 0.65 mm and 0.8 mm.

According to one embodiment, the cut length for the CD perforation line,measured linearly in the CD direction, is from about 2.5 mm to about 3.5mm, for example, from about 3.0 mm to about 3.5 mm, for example, aboveabout 3.0 mm, for example about 3.1 mm, for example between about 3.0 mmand about 3.3 mm.

According to one embodiment, the cut length for the MD perforation line,measured linearly in the MD direction, is above about 2.0 mm, from about2.0 mm to about 6.0 mm, for example, from about 2.5 mm to about 5.0 mm,for example, between about 2.0 mm and about 3.5, for example less thanabout 3.5 mm, for example between about 2.0 mm and about 4.5 mm.

While not exemplified, other embodiments are contemplated that achievethe desired relative perforation strengths between the machine directionperpendicular perforation line and the CD perforation line. Whileperforation lines are typically made up of a series of homogeneousperforations, irregular perforation lines are contemplated for useherein. The perforation line may be made up of different segments havingvarying perforation unit length, different bond lengths and/or differentcut lengths. If one wanted to improve the strength of the MD perforationline in the area proximate the CD perforation line, one could use longerbonds for the MD perforations in the area proximate the intersection.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the cut lengths to the bondlengths for the CD perforation line, measured linearly in the CDdirection, is greater than about 3, for example, greater than about 3.5,for example, greater than about 4, for example, greater than about 4.5,for example, greater than about 8.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the cut lengths to the bondlengths for the perpendicular perforation line, measured linearly in theMD direction, is less than about 7, for example, less than about 5.0,for example, less than about 4, for example, less than about 3, forexample less than about 2.5

According to one embodiment, the individual perforations of theperpendicular perforation line in the MD direction are longer than theindividual perforations in the CD direction. According to anotherembodiment, the individual perforations of the perpendicular perforationline in the MD direction are shorter than the individual perforations inthe CD direction. Finally, according to still another embodiment, theindividual perforations of the perpendicular perforation line in the MDdirection are the same length as the individual perforations in the CDdirection and according to this embodiment, the cut and bond lengths inthe MD perpendicular perforation line may be the same or different fromthe cut and bond lengths in the CD perforation line.

According to one embodiment, the ratio of the length of an individualperpendicular perforation in the MD direction to the length of anindividual perforation in the CD direction is at least about 1.1, forexample, at least about 1.2, for example, at least about 1.3, forexample, at least about 1.4, for example, at least about 1.5, forexample, at least about 1.6, for example, at least about 1.7, forexample, at least about 1.9.

According to one embodiment, the perforations in the CD direction havesmaller bonds than the perpendicular perforations in the MD direction.According to one embodiment, the bonds in the MD direction are 1.1 to1.5 times the length of the bonds in the CD direction.

According to one embodiment, the cuts within the line of perforationsmake up at least about 50% of the area of the perforation line, forexample, at least about 65% of the perforation line, for example, atleast about 70% of the perforation line, for example, at least about 75%of the perforation line, for example, from about 65% to about 85%.

According to one embodiment the CD and MD perforations can be used toproduce a wiper product having a basis weight of at least about 20 g/sq.meter, for example, at least about 25 g/sq. meter, for example, at leastabout 30 g/sq. meter, for example at least about 35 g/sq. meter, forexample between about 20 g/sq. meter and about 40 g/sq. meter, forexample between about 25 g/sq. meter and about 45 g/sq. meter. The basisweight of the paper web may affect the perforation tensile.

According to one embodiment, the wiper product has a SAT absorbentcapacity of at least about 300 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about400 g/sq. meter, for example, at least about 450 g/sq. meter, forexample, at least about 500 g/sq. meter, for example at least about 600g/sq. meter, for example, from about 500 g/sq. meter to about 1300 g/sq.meter, for example from about 700 to about 1000 g/sq. meter, for examplefrom about 750 to about 1250 g/sq. meter, depending upon the type ofwiper product that is desired.

According to one embodiment, the perpendicular perforations bisect thewiper into two equally sized wipers. According to another embodiment,the perpendicular perforations can be located to bisect the wiper intotwo wipers of unequal size. According to this embodiment, theperpendicular perforations should be located in a manner such that thesmaller wiper is not less than ⅓ of the original wiper product, or notless than ¼ of the wiper product. According to another embodiment, atleast two MD direction perforations are included on a wiper product.According to this embodiment, the wiper product can be divided intothirds. Based upon the techniques described herein, the skilled artisancould envision means for locating the MD perforation to coincide with afold line on an existing wiper configuration or locating an MDperforation to divide an existing wiper configuration into a desired endsize.

In addition to the issues encountered when producing the wiper productwith both a perpendicular perforation and a cross machine directionperforation, the perforation strengths associated with the perforationsshould be controlled so that in use they produce the consumer desiredseparation sequence.

When a consumer uses the wiper product as described, if the perforationstrength is too strong in the machine direction, the wiper will notseparate easily and will begin to separate along lines of weakness inthe airlaid sheet causing the separation not to follow the perforationand thereby leaving a tail of unwanted material on one or both of thesmaller wipers.

Other Products

While the embodiments as described above relate to standardconfigurations for commercial products, the same technique of providingperforations in multiple directions having differing tear strengths canbe applied to a variety of other fibrous products. Products that canbenefit from the perforation method as described include products madeby any art recognized method of forming a paper sheet, for example, wetlaying or, air laying. Other products that can benefit from the processas described include but are not limited to air filters, gas filters,wallcoverings, vacuum cleaner bags, cleaning wipes, acoustic insulation,embroidery stabilizers, to name a few.

According to one embodiment, the process as described can be applied tostabilizer for use in the production of embroidery. Stabilizers are usedto improve stitch quality. Stabilizers are essentially fibrous productsthat are formed using the same techniques that are described above fortissue and wipers. Stabilizers are especially important with denseembroidery but also to prevent puckering and tunneling when satinstitching. Each type of stabilizer (except for heat-away) comes inseveral weights or thicknesses. Thicker, heavier stabilizers are usedfor the densest stitching and lighter weights for lighter stitching.Stabilizers are generally characterized by their means of removal. Thereare four basic type of machine embroidery stabilizers:

Tear away: This stabilizer is used as a general backing to improvestitch quality when doing applique or embroidery. Like all stabilizers,it helps prevent puckers from dense stitching and tunneling when using awide zig-zag, satin stitch or other programed stitches. The tear awaystabilizer is placed on the wrong side of the background fabric anddecorative stitching is applied with the stabilizer in place. Tear-awaycan be removed after the stitching is completed. Tear-away stabilizersoften look like thin interfacing, and can be found in different weightsfor various uses. Tear away stabilizers are often made of rayon (e.g.,100% rayon 806 Stitch-N-Tear Pellon® brand distributed by PCP Group, LLC(Pellon® Consumer Products) in Saint Petersburg, FL.); wet laid short(0.25 to 0.5 inch) polyester fibers; cellulose (e.g. 100% cellulosePellon® 2301 Print-Stitch-Dissolve™); polypropylene (e.g., 100%polypropylene Pellon® 360 EZ-Stitch® is a non-woven, perforated,lightweight stabilizer) or polyester/cellulose blends such as 70%Polyester/30% Cellulose sold as Pellon® 835 Stitch-N-Tear® Litelightweight embroidery stabilizer or Pellon® 841 Stick-N-Tear that alsocontains a pressure sensitive adhesive).

Cut Away: This type of stabilizer is used for dense machine programmedstitching. The stabilizer remains under the stitching, but can be cutaway from around the design. Cut-away types are usually heavy and areused to back applique or embroidery on garments. They can be producedfrom polyester fibers (typically over 0.5 inches/15 denier) (e.g. 100%polyester Pellon® Ultra-Weave™ fusible embroidery stabilizer) orpolyester/viscose blends (e.g., 85% Polyester/15% Viscose such asFusible e.g., Pellon® 200BX Tack-n-Fuse™ non-woven stabilizer with apressure-sensitive back on one side and a fusible on the other.); andnylon (e.g. 100% nylon Pellon® 380 Soft-N-Stay™ lightweight, sew-instabilizer).

Wash Away: This stabilizer dissolves completely in water. It is used foropen work embroidery, needle lace and free-standing thread paintedobjects. It is the stabilizer of choice when every bit of the stabilizershould disappear. Completely dissolvable stabilizers are used to lay ontop of piled fabrics like towels before embroidery. This allows theembroidery design sit on top of the surface instead of sinking into thesurface.

The materials used to produce these wash away stabilizers includecellulose (e.g. 100% Cellulose Mixture Paper Wooden Pulp from, Pellon®2301 Print-Stitch-Dissolve™ stabilizer), PVA, (e.g. 100% polyvinylalcohol Pellon® 541 Wash-N-Gone® lightweight embroidery stabilizer;Pellon 542 Stick-N-Washaway™ with pressure sensitive adhesive or Pellon551 Sol-U-Film™ or Pellon® 553 Sol-U-Film™ Lite). Other providers ofwash away stabilizers include Sulky of America, Kennesaw, Georgia (Solvybrand), Superior Threads of St. George, Utah (Dissolve brand), VSM GroupAB, Huskvarna, Sweden (INSPIRA® Aqua Magic Plus brand).

Heat Away: It is used when fabrics or thread are water-sensitive but cantolerate heat. It will disintegrate completely when heated with an iron.This type of stabilizer is often called “Vanishing Muslin”. Inappearance it looks like a very loosely woven but stiff muslin or heavy,stiff cheesecloth. (e.g., remove using dry iron setting of 260°-300° F.(120°-140° C.), such as Sulky Heat-Away Stabilizer—Clear Film from Sulkyof America).

According to one embodiment, embroidery stabilizers can be produced withperforations that can be in the machine direction to allow the user toseparate the stabilizer into smaller segments thereby retaining aportion of the stabilizer for later use. Again, this allows the consumerto use the lowest and most ecologically friendly amount. According toanother embodiment, the embroidery stabilizer can be produced withperforation in both the cross direction and in the perpendicular machinedirection. According to this embodiment, the perforations may beconsistent with those discussed above for any of the towel, napkin orwiper depending upon the weight and characteristics of the product tothe perforated.

Regardless of the type of stabilizer being used, the combination ofmachine and cross direction perforations as described will allow thestabilizer to be produced in a size that can accommodate the largest ofembroidery hoops, which stabilizer may be separated along perforation sothat will prevent material waste when the hoop being used is smaller. Asdiscussed above, the tear strength of the material in the machine andcross direction will have to be developed so that the material will notseparate at the perforation lines during use of a larger stabilizer.

According to one embodiment, the stabilizers as described can be usedwith any art recognized hoop. For example, manufacturers of consumerembroidery machines include Husqvarna Viking (VSM Group AB, Huskvarna,Sweden), Pfaff (SGSB Co. Ltd., Kaiserslautern Germany), Bernina (TheBernina Company, Steckborn, Switzerland), Brother (BrotherInternational, Bridgewater, NJ, USA), and Janome (Janome Sewing MachineCo., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). Hoop dimensions offered by machine embroiderymachine manufacturers can range 40 mm×40 mm to the more common hoopdimensions including 360 mm×360 mm, 200 mm×200 mm, 100 mm×100 mm. Thestabilizer as described herein, can for example by made at 360 mm by 360mm, or 400 mm×400 mm, with perforated at lines every 40 mm in both themachine and the cross direction. This perforated stabilizer will allowthe consumer to subdivide the stabilizer for use in 40 mm×40 mm, 200mm×200 mm and 360 mm×360 mm hoops.

The product characteristics as set forth infra, and as measured in theExamples, used the following methodologies. Throughout thisspecification and claims, it is to be understood that, unless otherwisespecified, physical properties are measured after the web has beenconditioned according to TAPPI standards. If no test method isexplicitly set forth for measurement of any quantity mentioned herein,it is to be understood that TAPPI standards should be applied.

Basis Weight

Unless otherwise specified, “basis weight”, BWT, bwt, BW, and so forth,refers to the weight of a 3000 square-foot ream of product (basis weightis also expressed in g/m2 or gsm). Likewise, “ream” means a 3000square-foot ream, unless otherwise specified. Likewise, percent or liketerminology refers to weight percent on a dry basis, that is to say,with no free water present, which is equivalent to 5% moisture in thefiber.

Caliper

Calipers and/or bulk reported herein may be measured at 8 or 16 sheetcalipers as specified. The sheets are stacked and the calipermeasurement taken about the central portion of the stack. Preferably,the test samples are conditioned in an atmosphere of 23°±1.0° C.(73.4°±1.8° F.) at 50% relative humidity for at least about 2 hours andthen measured with a Thwing-Albert Model 89-II-JR or Progage ElectronicThickness Tester with 2-in diameter anvils, 539±10 grams dead weightload, and 0.231 in/sec descent rate. For finished product testing, eachsheet of product to be tested must have the same number of plies as theproduct as sold. For testing in general, eight sheets are selected andstacked together. For towel testing, towels are unfolded prior tostacking. For base sheet testing off of winders, each sheet to be testedmust have the same number of plies as produced off of the winder. Forbase sheet testing off of the papermachine reel, single plies must beused. Sheets are stacked together aligned in the machine direction (MD).Bulk may also be expressed in units of volume/weight by dividing caliperby basis weight.

MD and CD Tensile, Stretch, Break Modulus and TEA

Dry tensile strengths (MD and CD), stretch, ratios thereof, modulus,break modulus, stress and strain are measured with a standard Instrontest device or other suitable elongation tensile tester, which may beconfigured in various ways, typically, using 3 inch or 1 inch widestrips of tissue or towel, conditioned in an atmosphere of 23°±1° C.(73.4°±1° F.) at 50% relative humidity for 2 hours. The tensile test isrun at a crosshead speed of 2 in/min. Break modulus is expressed ingrams/3 inches/% strain or its SI equivalent of g/mm/% strain. % strainis dimensionless and need not be specified. Unless otherwise indicated,values are break values. GM refers to the square root of the product ofthe MD and CD values for a particular product. Tensile energy absorption(TEA), which is defined as the area under the load/elongation(stress/strain) curve, is also measured during the procedure formeasuring tensile strength. Tensile energy absorption is related to theperceived strength of the product in use. Products having a higher TEAmay be perceived by users as being stronger than similar products thathave lower TEA values, even if the actual tensile strength of the twoproducts are the same. In fact, having a higher tensile energyabsorption may allow a product to be perceived as being stronger thanone with a lower TEA, even if the tensile strength of the high-TEAproduct is less than that of the product having the lower TEA. When theterm “normalized” is used in connection with a tensile strength, itsimply refers to the appropriate tensile strength from which the effectof basis weight has been removed by dividing that tensile strength bythe basis weight. In many cases, similar information is provided by theterm “breaking length”.

GMT refers to the geometric mean tensile strength of the CD and MDtensile. Tensile energy absorption (TEA) is measured in accordance withTAPPI test method T494 om-01.

Tensile ratios are simply ratios of an MD value determined by way of theforegoing methods divided by the corresponding CD value. Unlessotherwise specified, a tensile property is a dry sheet property.

Perf Tensile

The perforation tensile strength (force per unit width required to breaka specimen) is measured generally using a constant rate of elongationtensile tester equipped with 3-in wide jaw line contact grips.Typically, the test is carried out using 3 inch wide by 5 inch longstrips of tissue or towel, conditioned in an atmosphere of 23°±1° C.(73.4°±1° F.) at 50% relative humidity for 2 hours. The crosshead speedof the tensile tester is generally set to 2.0 in. per minute. The jawspan is 3 inches. The specimen is clamped into the upper grip andallowed to hang freely. The lower grip is then used to grip the free endof the specimen tightly enough to hold the sample, but not withsufficient pressure to damage the sample. The sample is stretched untilit breaks and the perforation tensile is recorded.

Wet Tensile

The wet tensile of the tissue of the present invention is measuredgenerally following Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry(TAPPI) Method T 576 pm 7, using a three-inch (76.2 mm) wide strip oftissue that is folded into a loop, clamped in a special fixture termed aFinch Cup, then immersed in water. A suitable Finch cup, 3-in., withbase to fit a 3-in. grip, is available from:

-   -   High-Tech Manufacturing Services, Inc.        -   3105-B NE 65^(th) Street        -   Vancouver, Wash. 98663        -   360-696-1611        -   360-696-9887 (FAX).

For fresh basesheet and finished product (aged 30 days or less for towelproduct, aged 24 hours or less for tissue product) containing wetstrength additive, the test specimens are placed in a forced air ovenheated to 105° C. (221° F.) for five minutes. No oven aging is neededfor other samples. The Finch cup is mounted onto a tensile testerequipped with a 2.0 pound load cell with the flange of the Finch cupclamped by the tester's lower jaw and the ends of tissue loop clampedinto the upper jaw of the tensile tester. The sample is immersed inwater that has been adjusted to a pH of 7.0±0.1 and the tensile istested after a 5 second immersion time using a crosshead speed of 2inches/minute. The results are expressed in g/3 in., dividing thereadout by two to account for the loop as appropriate.

Roll Compression

Roll compression is measured by compressing a roll under a 1500 g flatplaten of a test apparatus. Sample rolls are conditioned and tested inan atmosphere of 23.0°±1.0° C. (73.4°±1.8° F.). A suitable testapparatus with a movable 1500 g platen (referred to as a height gauge)is available from:

-   -   Research Dimensions    -   1720 Oakridge Road    -   Neenah, Wis. 54956    -   920-722-2289    -   920-725-6874 (FAX)

The test procedure is generally as follows:

-   -   (a) Raise the platen and position the roll to be tested on its        side, centered under the platen, with the tail seal to the front        of the gauge and the core parallel to the back of the gauge.    -   (b) Slowly lower the platen until it rests on the roll.    -   (c) Read the compressed roll diameter or sleeve height from the        gauge pointer to the nearest 0.01 inch (0.254 mm).    -   (d) Raise the platen and remove the roll.    -   (e) Repeat for each roll or sleeve to be tested.

To calculate roll compression (RC) in percent, the following formula isused:

${R{C(\%)}} = \frac{100 \times \left( {{{initial}{roll}{diameter}} - {{compressed}{roll}{diameter}}} \right)}{{initial}{roll}{diameter}}$

SAT Capacity

Absorbency of the inventive products is measured with a simpleabsorbency tester. The simple absorbency tester is a particularly usefulapparatus for measuring the hydrophilicity and absorbency properties ofa sample of tissue, towels, or towel. In this test a sample of tissue,towels, or towel 2.0 inches in diameter is mounted between a top flatplastic cover and a bottom grooved sample plate. The tissue, towel, ortowel sample disc is held in place by a ⅛ inch wide circumference flangearea. The sample is not compressed by the holder. De-ionized water at73° F. is introduced to the sample at the center of the bottom sampleplate through a 1 mm. diameter conduit. This water is at a hydrostatichead of minus 5 mm. Flow is initiated by a pulse introduced at the startof the measurement by the instrument mechanism. Water is thus imbibed bythe tissue, towel, or towel sample from this central entrance pointradially outward by capillary action. When the rate of water imbibationdecreases below 0.005 gm water per 5 seconds, the test is terminated.The amount of water removed from the reservoir and absorbed by thesample is weighed and reported as grams of water per square meter ofsample or grams of water per gram of sheet. In practice, an M/K SystemsInc. Gravimetric Absorbency Testing System is used. This is a commercialsystem obtainable from M/K Systems Inc., 12 Garden Street, Danvers,Mass., 01923. WAC, or water absorbent capacity, also referred to as SAT,is actually determined by the instrument itself. WAC is defined as thepoint where the weight versus time graph has a “zero” slope, i.e., thesample has stopped absorbing. The termination criteria for a test areexpressed in maximum change in water weight absorbed over a fixed timeperiod. This is basically an estimate of zero slope on the weight versustime graph. The program uses a change of 0.005 g over a 5 second timeinterval as termination criteria; unless “Slow SAT” is specified inwhich case the cut off criteria is 1 mg in 20 seconds.

Water absorbency rate is measured in seconds and is the time it takesfor a sample to absorb a 0.1 gram droplet of water disposed on itssurface by way of an automated syringe. The test specimens arepreferably conditioned at 23° C.±1° C. (73.4° F.±1.8° F.) at 50%relative humidity. For each sample, 4 3×3 inch test specimens areprepared. Each specimen is placed in a sample holder such that a highintensity lamp is directed toward the specimen. 0.1 ml of water isdeposited on the specimen surface and a stop watch is started. When thewater is absorbed, as indicated by lack of further reflection of lightfrom the drop, the stopwatch is stopped and the time recorded to thenearest 0.1 seconds. The procedure is repeated for each specimen and theresults averaged for the sample. SAT Rate is determined by graphing theweight of water absorbed by the sample (in grams) against the squareroot of time (in seconds). The SAT rate is the best fit slope between 10and 60 percent of the end point (grams of water absorbed).

Sensory Softness

Sensory softness of the samples was determined by using a panel oftrained human subjects in a test area conditioned to TAPPI standards(temperature of 71.2° F. to 74.8° F., relative humidity of 48% to 52%).The softness evaluation relied on a series of physical references withpredetermined softness values that were always available to each trainedsubject as they conducted the testing. The trained subjects directlycompared test samples to the physical references to determine thesoftness level of the test samples. The trained subjects assigned anumber to a particular paper product, with a higher sensory softnessnumber indicating a higher the perceived softness

EXAMPLES Example 1

A tear-a-square product was produced by converting two paper webs into atowel product. The towel was embossed and perforated using a convertingline. The towel rolls were perforated in both the CD direction and inthe perpendicular MD direction using a standard CD perforation patternaccording to the description in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Trial cell perf blade and perf wheel designs and the TargetMD/CD Perf Tensile Ratios. Target CD MD Trial MD/CD Perf Bond CD Cut CDNumber Bond MD Cut MD Cell ID Tensile Ratio Length Length % Bond ofTeeth Length Length % Bond P2.1 0.8 0.6 mm 3.1 mm 16.2% 83 0.71 mm 5.06mm 12.3% P2.2 1.1 0.6 mm 3.1 mm 16.2% 116 0.71 mm 3.42 mm 17.2% P2.3 1.30.6 mm 3.1 mm 16.2% 125 0.79 mm 3.04 mm 17.6% P2.4 1.5 0.6 mm 3.1 mm16.2% 152 0.79 mm 2.36 mm 25.0% P2.5 1.8 0.6 mm 3.1 mm 16.2% 156  0.8 mm2.18 mm 29.0%

Example 2

Five tear-a-square sample products were produced by converting two paperwebs into a towel product. The towel was embossed and perforated using aconverting line. The five sample products differed only by the ratio ofMD perf/CD perf. In addition a sixth sample was produced having the sameproperties as the five samples except the length of the sheet wasshortened to 5.5, which is the same sheet size as a ¼ sheet ofcommercial BRAWNY® towel. The samples were perforated in accordance withthe information presented in Table 1.

The perpendicular MD perforations were produced using a hardened steelwheel cut to leave teeth that when pressed against a hardened anvil rollperforated the moving tissue web to provide cuts in the paper. Thedistance between cuts is the bond length for the paper towel product. Inorder to change the bond length, the number of perforations had tochange and/or length of the cut had to change, and/or the size of thewheel had to change.

The towel rolls were perforating in both the CD direction and in theperpendicular MD direction according to the description in Table 1. Thefive towels samples were produced with different perforation strengthsand different perforation ratios as set forth in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Perf Strength and Perf Ratios Sample No. P2.1 P2.2 P2.3 P2.4P2.5 Perf Tensile (g/3 inches) 889 878 922 912 895 MD Tensile (g/3inches) 2714 2685 2530 2668 2606 Perf Tensile Ratio (%) 32.8 32.7 36.434.2 34.3 Perpendicular Perf Tensile 823 972 1099 1285 1410 (g/3 inches)CD Tensile (g/3 inches) 2522 2491 2497 2470 2387 Perpendicular Perf 32.639.0 44.0 52.0 59.1 Tensile Ratio (%) Perpendicular Perf Tensile/Perf0.93 1.11 1.19 1.41 1.58 Tensile Perpendicular Perf Ratio/Perf 1.00 1.191.21 1.52 1.72 Ratio

As seen from Table 2, the perpendicular perf tensile varied from 7% lessto 58% greater than the perf tensile. Further, the ratio of theperpendicular perf tensile to the ratio of the perf tensile ranged fromabout equal to 72% greater. This ratio is an attribute that isassociated with the dispensability of the product.

Physical attributes of the samples are set forth in Table 3, below.

TABLE 3 “Tear-a-Square” Towel Finished Product Physical Attributes CellID P2.1 P2.2 P2.3 P2.4 P2.5 P2.6 Basis Weight (lb./3000 sq. foot) 31.131.1 31.1 31.0 31.0 30.6 Caliper (mils/8 sheets) 225 226 229 227 222 216MD Tensile (g/3 inches) 2714 2685 2530 2668 2606 2802 MD Stretch (%)15.8 15.3 15.0 15.5 15.5 15.2 CD Tensile (g/3 inches) 2522 2491 24972470 2387 2474 CD Stretch (%) 8.1 7.8 7.9 8.0 8.1 8.0 Perpendicular PerfTensile 823 972 1099 1285 1410 1173 (g/3 inches) Perf Tensile (g/3inches) 889 878 922 912 895 931 CD Wet Tensile-Finch (g/3 in) 710 711679 728 693 691 SAT Capacity (g/sq meter) 581 580 599 580 584 559GMBreakModulus (g/% stretch) 231 236 231 230 223 240 Sheet Count (perroll) 117 117 117 117 117 117 Sheet Length (inches) 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.05.5 Roll Diameter (inches) 5.69 5.69 5.69 5.69 5.71 5.26 RollCompression (%) 13.7 13.0 12.6 11.1 13.6 11.2 Sensory Softness (PSU) 6.36.3 6.4 6.1 6.5 6.1

Home use test of the five sample products were carried out to ascertainconsumer response to the smaller size, increased selection, softness,dispensability, etc. The results were reported as an overall performancerating. Products were all within the same general specification exceptfor the ratio of perpendicular perf tensile/perf tensile. Productshaving a ratio of perpendicular perf tensile/perf tensile greater thanabout 1.15 were more readily accepted by consumers. Products havingratio of greater than about 1.4 had an overall acceptance rating ofhigher than 88%. Products having a ratio of greater than about 1.5 hadan overall acceptance rating of higher than 89%. The paper towel productas described may have a ratio of perpendicular perf tensile/perf tensilefrom about 1.15 to about 1.6 including all sub-ranges in betweenincluding those having either endpoint chosen from 1.15, 1.2, 1.25, 1.3,1.35, 1.4, 1.45, 1.5, 1.55 and 1.6. The products samples were submittedfor home-use-test for dispensability evaluations.

Other embodiments of the present invention can include alternativevariations. These and other variations and modifications will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fullyappreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted toembrace all such variations and modifications.

1. (canceled)
 2. A rolled paper towel product comprising: a paper web having at least one ply; a plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction of the paper web; at least one perforation line in the machine direction of the paper web; wherein the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction is greater than the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction; and wherein the ratio of the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction to the tensile strength of the paper web in the cross-machine direction is from about 30% to about 60%.
 3. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the at least one perforation line in the machine direction comprises a series of homogenous perforations, wherein each perforation comprises a cut having a cut length and a bond having a bond length, wherein the sum of the cut length and the bond length constitutes the perforation length.
 4. The rolled paper product of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction comprises a series of homogenous perforations, wherein each perforation comprises a cut having a cut length and a bond having a bond length, wherein the sum of the cut length and the bond length constitutes the perforation length.
 5. The rolled paper product of claim 4, wherein the perforations in the at least one perforation line in the machine direction have a ratio of the cut length to the bond length of from about 2.5 to about
 7. 6. The rolled paper product of claim 4, wherein the perforations in the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction have a ratio of the cut length to the bond length of from about 3 to about
 8. 7. The rolled paper towel product of claim 4, wherein the perforation length of the perforations in the at least one perforation line in the machine direction is shorter than the perforation length of the perforations in the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction.
 8. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the ratio of the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction to the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction is at least about 1.15.
 9. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the ratio of the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction to the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction is at least about 1.5.
 10. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product has a basis weight of at least about 35 g/sq. meter.
 11. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product has a basis weight of at least about 45 g/sq. meter.
 12. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product is a two-ply product.
 13. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product is a three-ply product.
 14. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product has a SAT absorbent capacity of at least about 400 g/sq. meter.
 15. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the paper towel product has a SAT absorbent capacity of at least about 500 g/sq. meter.
 16. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction is greater than about 770 g/3 inches.
 17. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction is greater than about 450 g/3 inches.
 18. The rolled paper towel product of claim 2, wherein the ratio of: (i) the ratio of the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction to the tensile strength of the paper web in the cross-machine direction to (ii) the ratio of the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction to the tensile strength of the paper web in the machine direction is between about 1.7 and about
 2. 19. The rolled paper towel product of claim 4, wherein: the perforations in the at least one perforation line in the machine direction have a ratio of the cut length to the bond length of from about 2.5 to about 7; the perforations in the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction have a ratio of the cut length to the bond length of from about 3 to about 8; and the perforation length of the perforations in the at least one perforation line in the machine direction is shorter than the perforation length of the perforations in the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction.
 20. The rolled paper towel product of claim 19, wherein the paper towel product is a two or three ply product having a basis weight of at least about 45 g/sq. meter.
 21. The rolled paper towel product of claim 20, wherein: the paper towel product has a SAT absorbent capacity of at least about 500 g/sq. meter; the tensile strength of the at least one perforation line in the machine direction is greater than 950 g/3 inches; and the tensile strength of each of the plurality of perforation lines in the cross-machine direction is less than 950 g/3 inches. 